Furnace.



PATBNTED APR. 23, 1907.

A. RHONEMUS.

FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.8. 190

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

MW W 2 PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

A. RHONEMUS. FURNACE. APPLIOATION FILED-AUG. a. 1006.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1121/21 {Zndiff/1111 7? karma:

gawk/6? I stopping t UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIQE.

ARTHUR RHONEMUS, OF BELLE VERNON, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed August 8,1'906- Serial No. 329,793-

To allwhom it may concern:

t'aBe it knownthat I, ARTHUR Rnonniuus, a c tizen of the United States of America, residing at Belle Vernon, in the county of Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces, of which the following 1s a specification, reference being had therein .to the accompanying drawing.

' This invention relates to certain" new and useful improvements in glass furnaces, andmore particularly to a furnace designed for producing cylinder and'plate glass.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a furnace wherein pots of molten glass can be continuously heated.

Another object of this invention is to pro vide a furnace that can be easily and quickly manipulated and regulated to produce molten glass-of a proper consistency and temperature to be formed intoa cylinder or plate of glass. To this end, I have devised a circular furnace having. a circular compartment formed therein. In'the' compartment travels aplatform carrying a plurality of pots adapted to convey glass through a heating zone, which prepares the glass to. be drawn from the furnace.

for movinlg'the platform and automatically e same in short periods of time. The detail construction ofthe furnace will be presently described, illustrated and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

' standards 6 conveniently arranged lation to the walls 1 and2. The walls sup- Referring to the drawing forming part of this specification, like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which-- a Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved furnace, Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the furnace, Fig. 3 is a detail perspective.

View of the operating mechanism, Fig. 4 is a planof the furnace, and Fig.5 is a horizontal sectional view of the same.

To put my invention into practice, I construct my improved furnace of two circular walls l'and 2, the wall 2 being of a lesser diameter than the wall 1, therebyforming a circular heating compartment 3. The walls 1 and 2 are constructed of a plurality of sections supported by plates fl mounted upon brackets 5, carried by a plufalitly of wit report a convex roof 7 composed of a plurality of sections. 1 The height of the compartment,

g In connection. with'the furnace, I use certain mechanism,

directly beneath the compartment 3, I arrange a circular track 8, upon which a plurality of-trucks 9 travel, said trucks carrying a circular platform 10 having circumferentia-lly arranged gutters 11 bordering its edges.

The' bottom outer edges of the platform are provided with a circular rack 12 by which the platform is driven. Upon the platform 10 are mounted a lurality of. pots 14, said pots being placed t ereon through an open ing 15 formed in the wall 1, which is suitably closed during the operation of the furnace.

The pots 14 are provided with gripping lugs 16, whereby a pair of tongs or a suitable 'iinplement or instrument can be used for removing the pots from the furnace, and opposite each'pot, I provide the platformlO with a plate 17 having an opening 18 formed therein. These platesare employed in 0on5 nection with the operating mechanism of the furnace.

Arranged tangentially to the furnace are two flues 19 and 20, the fiue 20 serving as an inlet flue for a blast of gas, while the flue 19 serves as an outlet or exhaust for the gasfi,

The flues are arranged at the ends of the lower ortion of the furnace, whereby the gas wil be driven through the large compartment or the heating zone, as indicated by arrows. Some heat will pass through the small part of the compartment 3, but the glass placed in the pots 14 will be subjected to the greater heat in the large part of the compartment.

The molten glass to be treated in my furnace is convey d from a suitable tank 21 to the pots 14 by trough 22, said trough having a' suitable gate 23, which is controlled by a cable or chain 24 that passes over the furwhen a ot is filled. I provide the wall 2 eposite til y an attendant'in'front of the small part of the compartment 3 can look over the same,

through the hole 25 and observe the flow of the glass inthe trough 22. The glass after it has been subject to the heat of the furnace is drawn through an opening 26, formed in the roof 7' of the fiir'nace, said opening being located above. the small part ofthe furnace.

new and is manipulated by an attendant e trough witlra peep hole 25, where-' Q Iidesir'e it to be understood that such other To revolve the platform and stop the tor.

furnace with gutters, to receive-anymolten glass that may same at predetermined times to allow the pots to be filled, and the glass drawn, I ]0llI nal a shaft 27 adjacent to the furnace, said shaft carrying pinions 28 and 29, the former 'meshing with the rack 12, While the latter meshes with a gear Wheel 30 mounted upon the armature shaft 31 of a conventional form of motor 32. The motor. 32 is controlled by a switch 33. Contiguous to the shaft 27 I mount a spring held rod34, the end of which is adapted to enter the openings 18 of the plates 17. To move the rod 34, I use a bevel gear wheel. 35, which meshes with a gear wheel 36, mounted upon the shaft 27. .The bevel gear Wheel 351s provided with a lug 37 adapted to strike the end of the rod 34 anrl move its endinto the plates 17.

- In'Fig. 5., of the drawings, I have illus trated in dotted lines two openings 38, which are normally closedwhile the furnace is in operation. These 0 enings are used incase the glass has not been sufficiently heated a suitable burner being placed in the openings 38 over the ots let, to heat the glass contained in said pots. I have also illustrated in dotted lines two partitions 39, which can be conveniently used toshield the smaller compartment from the gas of the flue 20, while the pots containedwithin the smaller compartment are being operated upon.

In foperation, the heating of glass within my improved furnace is practically continuous, as the molten glass is fed into the fur.- nace at one side and drawn from another side of the furnace, While the platform ofthe furnace continues to revolve, carrying the molten glass through the heating zone, where it is subjectedto the heatofthc-ignited gas, which passes through a portion of the furnace. An attendant is adapted to operate the furnace and control the movement of the platform by the electrical switch ofv the mo- I provide the revoluble platform of the v overflow from the pots carried by the platform, these gutters preventing Elie glass from sealing the pots upon the platorm.

Ido not care to confine myself to the mechanism employed for stopping the platform, to ermit of the pots carried thereby being re ledanddrawn. It is obvious that various mechanical expedients maybe readily used in lieu ofthe mechanismshown, and changes in the details ofconstfuction, as are permissible by the a pended claims, may be resortedto without eparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. I What I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Ratent, is

1 A furnace of the tylge describedmonsist ng oftwo circular wal arcompartment, one part of vsaid ment and having gutters at its edges,

"in the furnace being of forming acircu zcompartment being smaller than the remainder of the compartment, a circularftrack arranged beneath said compartment, a revolving platform adapted to travel upon saidtrack and having gutters at its edges, pots mounted upon said platform, tangentially disposed flues communicating with said compartment and adapted to establish a heating zone therein, and means to revolve said platform; substantially as described. I

2. In a furnace, the combination-with a suitable heating medium,. of circular walls forming a circular compartment adapted to be heated by said medium, one part of said I compartment being smaller than the remainder of the compartment, a circular platform revolubly mounted-in said comparte pots arranged upon said-platform and adaptedto receive molten glass, means; to revolve said platform, and-means to intermittently stop said platform, substantially asdescribed.

' 3. In a furnace, the combination with a suitable heating medium, of circular walls ,forminga compartment adapted to be heat ed by said medium, one part of said-compartment being smaller than the remainder of-the compartment, a roof for said compartment having an openingformed therein, a revolu ble platform mountedin said compartment, pots supportedby saidplatform andadapted; to receive molten glass, means to revolve said platform, and means engaging said platform opposite each pot to stop saidplatform, substantially as described,

4. A furnace embodyingv two circular walls, one arranged within the other to form a circular compartment, tangentially disposed flues communicating with said compartment and adapted to establish a heating zone therein, a revoluble platform mounted in said compartment, pots'mounted upon said platform, and means to revolve said platform, substantially as described.

5. A'furnao'eformed of an inner and an. .outer circular wall forming a circular compartment, the walls atone point being of materiallyless height than at the remainder thereof, forming a circular compartment, of different areas 'in cross section, a roof for said compartment having an opening located over 'that part of the compartment. which is of the less area in cross section, and flues"communicating with that part of the compartment which is of the greater area in cross section.

-6 A furnace constructed ofcircular walls one Within the other forming a circular heat zone or compartment, the Walls at-one point materiall less height. than the remainder of the wal s, and fines communicating with the heat zone or com: partment at, the ends of the larger part of said compartment.

'7.,' In a furnaceof the typedescribed a,

furnace chamber of endless form and of less chamber which is of less area in cross section, area in cross section at one point than andthe sidewall of said furnace having an throughout the remainder of the chamber, opening communicating with that portion of x5 the roof of said chamber having an opening the furnace which is of the greater area in 5 located above that portion of the chamber cross section.

which is of the less area in cross section. In testimony whereof I affix my signature f "8. In ah furnace fof the t gpe described, a in the presence of two Witnesses. urnace c amber 0 en less orm and 0 less area in cross section at one point than ARTHUR RHONEMUS' 10 throughout the remainder of the chamber, Witnesses:

the roof of said furnace chamber having an MICHAEL E. BROWN,

opening located above that portion of the JAMES BLACK. 

